Are snakes intelligent and do rats eat snkes?

Question

Are snakes intelligent creatures compared to like say rats? By intelligent I mean good problem solving skills,decision making skills used with plain brain power not instincts. For example one of my pet rats can open a cage. That shows that he is good at solving problems. Another example spiders can make webs. This is not showing intelligence this is what spiders do naturally. So what are snakes more like spiders or rats? Also I heard that in some cases rats will try to eat snakes not defend themselves is this true?

Answer 1

Snakes are certainly more intelligent than people give them credit for. For example, my royal python knows when she sees the box I keep her mice in that she is about to be fed - she learned this very quickly. However, rats are highly intelligent and snakes cannot compete with them in the brain-power stakes. I have kept both species as pets for many years, and I too had a rat that figured out how to open his cage. They also learn to come when called, and can be taught all kinds of tricks.

As to rats eating snakes, they are omnivorous and will eat almost anything. Certainly a rat would see a dead snake or one smaller than itself as food. If it was defending itself against a larger snake and managed to kill it (which is by no means impossible - rats have very powerful teeth), it would be quite likely to make a meal of its would-be predator.

Answer 2

Snakes Eating Rats

Answer 3

I'd say rats are more adaptive, and as such can learn to open the cage. I'm not sure a snake is capable of anything more than the most primitive survival skills.

As for a rat eating a snake... a rat will eat anything that doesn't eat it first. I would expect in the wild, a dead snake is just another protein source for the rat.

I had a pet snake, which I was going to feed a rat once a week for food. The snake and rat became friends. Snake damn near starved to death.

Answer 4

Rats And Snakes

Answer 5

In general, people underestimate animal intelligence. I continually get impressed by watching what animals do with brains that are a lot smaller than our own. Rats can learn a lot more things than snakes so that is one way to decide which is smarter. It is harder to train snakes because they like one big meal and then stop eating for a long time. Rats can eat little amounts all day long. If you are rewarding these animals to get them to do tricks, the rat is easier to reward many times. The snake is getting a reward so seldom that it is not a fair way to measure their trick learning ability. In my opinion, the rat is a lot smarter, but it isn't easy to prove.
Rats can eat all kinds of things and they could take advantage of a small snake or a snake which is too cold to move fast and eat them.

Answer 6

Rats have killed snakes that they where fed too. Including very large snakes. You shouldn't feed a 15 ft. Reticulated Python a rat. The reason is: There is a chance that if the snake doesn't land a clean strike, the rat can bite the snake on the head and cause injury. Rats are too small for a snake that big to actually try and constrict it. They can constrict them, but its not the ideal meal to give a very large snake. A snake that big requires more than a rat anyway.

Answer 7

New findings suggest that when it comes to learning and cognition, the snake may be quite a bit more like humans than anyone had imagined. David Holtzman, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester, has found that snakes have a much greater capacity for learning than earlier studies had indicated. His research also indicates that, like humans, many snakes rely on sight to get around, and that older and younger snakes differ in how they gather and decipher information about the world around them.

See the January, 1999 issue of Animal Behaviour for more information.

Snakes are nothinglike spiders which have no large brain, only nerve centers.

Answer 8

I acquired a rescued (abused and neglected) Colombian Red Tail Boa who always ate live mice. The first feeding she was pretty hungry, so I bought a live mouse a bit smaller than what she normally eats and also a f/t (frozen/thawed). I tried her with the f/t and she wouldn't eat it. So, I offered her the live mouse and SNAP! no more live mouse. While she was still in stalking/eating mode, I offered her the f/t and SNAP! no more f/t. She has been eating f/t ever since. Just make sure they are totally thawed through and through and I also dip them in some warm water to "wake up" its natural, mousey smell (but NOT VERY HOT WATER because it will partially 'cook' the mouse and you don't want that). If worse comes to worse (hold on to your hats, those who are easily queasy) cut a small slit in the f/t head and allow some of the brains to come out, giving it an appetizing smell for your RTB. She should take to f/t without much problem if you try different methods. There are many benefits to feeding f/t as opposed to live mice. Good luck!

Answer 9

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I have alot of boas and all of them eat frozen/thawed rats. I've never ever had a problem converting them, including babies, to eating frozen. With larger rats, I let them thaw out in the fridge for a day or two (or you can thaw them out in cold water). When they're completely thawed out, I put them in hot water until they are warm and not cold in the middle. I use some tongs and shake the rat in front of the snake, and they always take it with no problems. My largest boa eats frozen/thawed rabbits. If your boa doesn't take the rat, set it down in front of the boa and often they will eat it then.

Answer 10

YES,IN FACT THE KING COBRA IS THE MOST INTELLIGENT OF ALL SNAKES,THEY CAN BUILD THEIR OWN NESTS TOO.